KNOX  Earl H. Barcomb was an Air Force colonel and an environmental engineer who loved his family and the town of Knox.

On Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008, he died at his home in Knox. He was 65 years old, the son of Earl Barcomb and the late Katherine Falvey Barcomb. Born in Holyoke, Mass., he was raised in Mountain View, N.Y.

“He was a kind and gentle guy, and he had a wonderful sense of humor  devilish almost,” said Wendy Barcomb, his wife of 43 years. “But he helped a lot of people and didn’t make a big deal out of it,” she said.

“We love living here, and, when we turned the farm over to our son and his family, it was important for us to stay within the town of Knox,” Mr. Barcomb said in April.

He was on Knox’s zoning board of appeals for 25 years, much of which he spent as chairman before stepping down in April.

“I wanted to be involved with this community and to work to keep it as special as it is,” Mr. Barcomb said shortly after retiring from the board. “It is an important board, and it must be careful to adhere to our legal framework,” he said.

“He really liked working on the ZBA,” his wife said. “He liked the legal aspects, working with neighbors, making sure the town was protected legally.”

Mr. Barcomb retired from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in 2001, but returned to work for the State Emergency Management Office after 9/11. He had worked part-time for SEMO ever since.

He met his wife while in college at the University of Buffalo. “We started dating immediately,” she said. They were out with mutual friends for pizza and drinks. It was her 19th birthday. They would be married on her 22nd.

They loved to travel, seeing Europe, Australia, and Africa during their life together. They also traveled to Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan during his service in the Air Force. During this time, they lived in Guam, where they had their first son, Earl.

“He used to bow hunt,” Mrs. Barcomb said. “He absolutely loved family gatherings, too.” He loved chess, playing cards, and his dog, Molly.

“We had a wonderful life together,” Mrs. Barcomb said. “We were very lucky for that.”

****

Earl Barcomb is survived by his wife, Wendy Barcomb and his father, Earl Barcomb.

He is also survived by his children: Earl Barcomb and his wife, Jessica; Daniel Barcomb and his wife, Catherine; Nathan Barcomb and his wife, Carolyn; Eleanor Barcomb and her husband, James; and his grandchildren: Earl, Sophia, Daniel, Hannah, Phoebe, Alice, Owen, and Calvin.

He is survived, too, by his sisters: Nancy Dolland and her husband, John; Amanda Barcomb; and three nieces.

The family sends a special thanks to Dr. Ronald Stram, nurse April Bruzdzinski, the Center for Integrative Health and Healing in Delmar, and to Community Hospice in Schenectady.

A memorial mass was held Saturday, Nov. 1, at St. Lucy’s Church in Altamont. Arranggements were made by the Fredendall Funerall Home in Altamont.

 Zach Simeone

Mary C. Cameron

WESTERLO  Mary C. Cameron was a vibrant woman who worked as a bank teller and enjoyed sporting events with her late husband, Harold H. Cameron.

She died on Monday, Nov. 3, 2008, at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany. She was 74.

“She was joyful and vocal, and very opinionated,” said her son, Mark E. Cameron of Westerlo. “If you walked in a room, you could tell which direction to find her.”

Mrs. Cameron was born in Albany, the daughter of the late Albert and Gertrude (Vibbard) Jewell. Her father worked at the Albany airport and her mother was a homemaker.

Mrs. Cameron worked as a bank teller. She was a longtime employee of the former Banker’s Trust, working in the Albany and Clifton Park branches. “She liked the people and she liked the atmosphere,” said her son of her work at the bank.

She met Harold Cameron when he came into her bank to make a deposit, said their son.

They had a happy marriage, he said. “They traveled to different places, to go to motor home rallies,” said Mark Cameron. They were members of the Family Motor Coach Association.

They were also members of the Sports Car Club of America and of the New York State Ice Racing Association. Both Harold Cameron and his son enjoyed racing and were good at it. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” said Mark Cameron. “My father raced sports cars and ice raced on Warners Lake and Thompsons Lake.”

Mrs. Cameron was enthusiastic about attending the events and used her organizational skills to further the cause. She was a secretary and treasurer for NYSIRA and she was the chief registrar for the SCCA.

She enjoyed arts and crafts, which included sewing, knitting and crocheting, said her son, noting she made projects both large and small  from afghans to doilies.

“She had a house next door to us,” said Mark Cameron.

She loved babysitting and she loved her pets. Over the years, she had two golden retrievers, a black and tan coonhound, and a cat.

“She was very devoted to her grandchildren and her daughter-in-law,” said Mark Cameron.

****

She is survived by her son, Mark E. Cameron and his wife, Dorian L., of Westerlo; her grandchildren, Harold H. Cameron II and Joshua R. Cameron; her sister-in-law, Ann Jewell; her nephew, Edward Jewell; several cousins and many dear friends.

Funeral services will be today Thursday, Nov. 13, at NewComer-Cannon Funeral Home at 343 New Karner Road in Colonie. Interment will be in the Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery. To leave a message for her family online, visit www.NewcomerAlbany.com.

Memorial contributions may be made to The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Attention: Director of Annual Giving, Post Office Box 016960 (R48), Miami, FL 33101; or to the Reeve Foundation, 636 Morris Turnpike, Suite 3A, Short Hills, NJ 07078; or to the American Diabetes Association, 7 Washington Square, Albany, NY 12205; or to the American Heart Association, 440 New Karner Road, Albany, NY 12205.

 Melissa Hale-Spencer

Barbara S. Van Auken

KNOX  Barbara S. Van Auken, died at her Knox home on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008.

She was born May 21, 1945 in Gloversville to the late George and Leona Langlois. She worked in Albany for Empire Blue Cross and was a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Ladies Auxiliary.

She is survived by her two sons, Robert Jr. and his wife, Nicole, of Schenectady and Michael Van Auken of Knox; her five sisters, Shirley Loucks of Broadalbin, Phyllis Auty of Broadalbin, Margaret Benedetti of Florida, Sonja Zamanek of Johnstown, and Sandra Langlois of Johnstown; and her two granddaughters, Taylor Margaret and Rylee Nicole.

Her husband, Robert Van Auken, died before her as did two brothers, George Robert and William Langlois. She is also survived by beloved friends, George Heath, Kim, and Michelle and family.

A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8, at the Fredendall Funeral Home in Altamont. Friends may call prior to the service from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to the VFW or the American Cancer Society.